Netherlands Boosts Defense Production for Its Armed Forces and Ukraine
The Netherlands has officially launched a major defense manufacturing initiative in the city of Born, Limburg province, where production of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), drones, and military-grade batteries will serve both Dutch and Ukrainian defense needs.
The Gaze reports this, referring to DefenseMirror.
The new production hub, operated by VDL Group, brings together three leading defense technology companies – Milrem Robotics, Tulip Tech, and DeltaQuad – in a joint effort to accelerate Europe’s defense industrial capacity.
The project will produce a wide range of systems: UGVs from Milrem Robotics, tactical drones from DeltaQuad, and advanced batteries from Tulip Tech.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans signed the agreements with these companies, calling the initiative “a necessary acceleration of Europe’s defense readiness” amid the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.
“To continue supporting Ukraine and deter Russia, we need to scale up defense production quickly,” Brekelmans said. “This involves innovation and industrialization, speed and scale. With VDL and other modern companies, we can achieve this. VDL is now the flagship of the Dutch defense industry and is operating at full speed.”
The program marks one of the fastest defense production launches in Dutch history, with manufacturing lines established within just a few months – a process that typically takes years.
The Ministry of Defence has leased 120,000 square meters of production facilities, where existing industrial infrastructure made it possible to begin operations immediately. Many former VDL employees have returned to contribute to the project, reflecting its national importance.
The partnership between the Dutch Ministry of Defence and VDL is expected to last at least a decade, with additional production lines scheduled to open soon.
As The Gaze previously informed, Ukraine signed its first international research and development (R&D) partnership in the defense technology sector, teaming up with the Netherlands’ top research institute, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), to drive innovations that could reshape the battlefield.